Looking from the outside, one would think it is a quiet and peaceful small town.

I am looking at this town from the top of a hill, not very high, but high enough to have a waterfall. I am sitting on the grass, I can admire everything around me and the sight is beautiful!

From here I can see the town, as well as part of the surrounding forest and feel the waterfall behind me. The sound is soothing and I can feel the refreshing water droplets falling on me, washing my soul.

You must wonder why I am here, when the sun is still high and it is work hours. The thing is, I can't find another place where I can be at peace, there is no one around me to disturb me, which is what was happening where I live and work.

I am considered inferior in the town where I live. Some think I am insignificant because I am the daughter of a seamstress. We don't have money or a good social life. I need to work and help my mother with sewing, I spend the day hemming, sewing buttons, basting, and embroidering.

We will have a party very soon and many people have come to place orders. During the dress fittings, I am kicked, humiliated, and assaulted in every way by the clients. Sometimes, I don't even have time to eat and I am very thin, well below the ideal weight.

My hair is dry and dull and my clothes are worn out. With the large order of clothes, my mother had to buy a lot of fabrics. This could give me the right to make a dress for myself too, but my mother doesn't allow it.

She mistreats me because she says my father left her because of me. The problem is that my father was dark-haired and I was born a redhead. My mother is fair-skinned and my father became suspicious because on the night I was conceived, he got separated from my mother in the middle of the night and my mother soon began showing signs of pregnancy.

Men!

Always suspicious and hasty.

My life has not been easy because as my mother mistreats me in front of others, those who see also think they can do the same and mistreat me too. Our leader doesn't mind because he thinks my father was right.

Looking from up here, the town is beautiful, calm, and peaceful, but inside, it's a mess and a buzz. Lots of gossip, lots of jealousy, lots of envy, and many young women wanting to conquer our leader.

My town is actually a Pack and we are supernatural creatures, werewolves, living in a hidden society from humans, but we also coexist with them. They visit us at certain times of the year when it is allowed, but they don't realize who we are.

I was born 45 years ago. For humans, I may be mature, but our race lives much longer, so I haven't reached adulthood yet, let's say I'm just coming out of adolescence, around 19 years old.

Despite being the daughter of wolves, something strange happened on the night I was conceived. My mother doesn't tell what it was, nor does my supposed father who rejected me when I was born, and she takes it out on me because of the absence of my father.

Yes! He is my father, whether he wants to or not, whether he accepts it or not.

I did some research on the family tree in the town library. It is large and has books on all subjects, and I discovered that in my father's family, there was an ancestor who I resemble. She was also discriminated against, but she ran away and no one knows what happened to her. It's taboo to talk about her.

I thought about talking to him several times, but the disgusted face he made when he saw me on the street, along with crossing to the other side, made me give up. Even though I hide from everyone, I don't have thick skin and my pride is the only feeling of consolation I have left.

At the right age, I transformed for the first time and my she-wolf has a light reddish fur, almost pink, with greenish-almost-blue highlights. With me, everything seems almost, almost that color, almost that father, almost not ugly, almost normal, almost...

That's why I haven't told anyone that I already have my she-wolf and I only transform when I'm alone. Thanks to her, we don't starve.

My hair is also reddish-pink, so I cut it short and always cover my head with strips of fabric. They are scraps of fabric that, when sewn together, form a band that covers my entire head, so no one sees my different hair. Because in the Pack, there is not a single redhead, only people with dark hair.

Lately, my she-wolf has been restless and asking me to let my hair grow, after all, it is part of her fur. So, I am honoring her request and letting it grow, but I always keep it hidden.

I also have strange bumps on my shoulders, they seem like extensions of my scapulae, very close to my spine. I don't know what they are, but I wear loose shirts to disguise them. They also appear on the back of my she-wolf, I tried to see them through the reflection in the lake, but I couldn't. My she-wolf, Rose, said that I will find out during the next blue moon. It's only a week away.

My name is Lizandra, my father chose it before I was born, it was a tribute to his mother, but when he saw me for the first time, he was so angry that he left right away, and my mother was so devastated that she didn't even consider changing the name.

I think my name is beautiful, but no one calls me by it, I don't think they even know what it is. To everyone, my name is "thing," "weirdo"...

I can't say that I don't care, after all, our name is our identity and should be respected. But I don't argue or complain and demand to be treated well. My dream is to one day become someone so special that everyone admires me and recognizes that I am also someone.

I know it's just a dream, but dreaming is free, and no one knows, so they can't criticize it, it's something only mine, that brings a smile to my face. You can say that I am an optimist, that I fantasize too much, but we all need an escape valve.

My stomach just growled, I'm hungry because I didn't eat anything for breakfast, I couldn't even if I wanted to. Lately, I have only been able to eat, as I mentioned before, thanks to Rose who hunts at night when I let her out.

But she hasn't been out for two nights. Because last time, we were chased by a very big black wolf, I believe it was Alpha Derick, and we don't want him to see us, who knows what he would do if he caught us.

For now, I'll stay here quietly, soaking up the sun and enjoying the sound of the water, while I wait for my mother to finish attending to her customers. Appreciating nature is all I have, and no one can take that away from me.

Derick

My name is Derick and I am the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. I am going through all the work sectors to make sure everything is going well. We will have a celebration for the Blue Moon and big things are expected to happen.

I am very anxious and my wolf is restless because we will receive a special power on the night of the celebration and we will recognize our mate.

For now, we can only wait.

The pack is doing very well financially. The trees have grown rapidly and multiplied the amount of fruits, which are large and lush, attracting many buyers. I had to buy a truck to transport the merchandise because it no longer fit in my pickup truck.

I pass by the square and see many women and young people arranging everything, weeding, sweeping, preparing the place for decorations and the stage that will be set up. We will have a special hunt to have meat for everyone.

Here, we don't have food stalls like humans do, everything is free. People earn their salary by working and the profit from sales finances the events.

From the effort I am seeing, it will be a beautiful party. I just spotted a group of flirty young women, they look at me interested, flirt, and give wonderful smiles, and although I feel proud of the interest, I just give a wave of hand.

I am waiting for my mate.

I headed towards the garden, after passing the orchard, and looked at the immense land in front of me. Many beds had been made. Some were already covered with sprouts and others were marked. I went to the greenhouse to talk to Master Tirion.

Master Tirion is the elder of our pack. He is the oldest in the pack and has been through five generations. That is why his advice is highly respected and sought after by everyone. He still has a lot of vigor and takes care of our garden with great care.

I found him working on a raised bed, full of seedlings, separating them.

"Master Tirion, good morning!" I called him so he would notice me, since he was so concentrated.

"Good morning, my Alpha! Do you like the beds?" he replied, always helpful and with a smile on his face.

"I thought it would be further along..." I commented, shaking my head and furrowing my brow, showing my displeasure.

"I'm sorry, my Alpha, but I don't have anyone to help me. They're all busy with the preparations for the Blue Moon festival." he said, clapping one hand on the other to clean the soil and began walking towards the exit. I followed him, and he, looking at the beds, stretched his right arm pointing to the scattered tubes on the side, waiting to be installed.

"Do you see the irrigation piping? It still needs to be installed, but the seedlings need to be planted. I can't do everything alone. Jimi went to help with the fruit harvest and Mario is fixing a pipe that burst near the dam. As you can see, we're lacking labor." he explained, not as a complaint, but just stating the problem.

I observed everything, thoughtfully, looked at the trees around and the hill... That's when, with my excellent wolf-like vision, I saw a figure sitting on top of the hill. How audacious, everyone working and she sitting there, just enjoying the wonderful day.

In an impulse, I ran with the speed of my wolf, climbed the hill, and soon I was behind her. I knew who she was by the cloth on her head and the look of delight on her face, which irritated me even more.

"Hey you!!!" I called, rudely.

"Ah?" she turned surprised and frightened. When she saw me, she stood up, lowering her head as a sign of respect and subservience, which was the correct behavior in front of the Alpha. "Yes, Alpha?"

"What are you doing here, enjoying while everyone is working? You don't need to answer... Come!" I didn't even give her a chance, what could that insignificant little thing say to me?

She stood there, looking at me with those wide green eyes, trying to say something, but I didn't let her.

"Come! NOW!!!" I released my dominance to make her obey me, but she remained still. Strange, it seems like my dominance didn't affect her.

I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her along, she was somewhat hunchbacked and with that cloth on her head, she looked like a zombie. She was thin and had dark circles under her eyes, but she would serve my purpose.

"Come on, weirdo, walk faster and make sure you don't fall or roll down there. Besides being hideous, you're lazy and filthy. Go work to learn..."

So, I ran with her stumbling behind, I couldn't care less. She deserves it, to appreciate life, even if it is the result of an unknown, she enjoys the mercy of the Pack.

However, one thing caught my attention, in addition to her torn clothes and excessive thinness, the fact that my dominance had not affected her, after all, she was not even a wolf.

Thinking of a wolf, I remembered the wolf I saw in the forest days ago. I ran after her, but I couldn't catch her. I could swear she had different colors. But that doesn't matter now, especially since I haven't seen her again.

I managed to reach the base of the hill and headed towards Master Tirion.

"What are you doing with the girl, my Alpha?" the master asked me.

"Here is your newest helper, put her to work, from morning till night, no one gets to avoid working in this Pack," I ordered and let go of her arm, which she rubbed with her other hand.

"Alright, my Alpha. Thank you, I'll make good use of this special workforce." He must be going blind, how is that weirdo special?

"Think as you please, I'll come by tomorrow to see how the work is going. Don't let her slack off like she was doing. If she eats, she has to work."

I left them there and continued my inspection. I have to keep everything under constant surveillance, you never know when something will happen. Especially now, when we are so prosperous and a prosperous place attracts jealous people who cannot be content with just observing others' progress and plan, and they will destroy what they can't have.

Everyone greets me as I pass by, they want to talk, but I can't, I continue towards my purpose, just waving and smiling.

Derick

We have a neighboring Pack whose Alpha is not happy about us winning all the competition and him being stuck with unsold products, having to go from fair to fair in neighboring cities to sell them. That's why I train my men to always be vigilant.

I also train a lot, I had a special gym built for us to train in. It has weightlifting equipment and a ring for fighting training. I like to be prepared, but here, only men train, women have a different role.

I spent some time there and went home, the day was productive, but I still have some documents to examine in the office.

Afonso opened the door before I even arrived.

"Good afternoon, Alpha," he greeted, with his deep voice.

"Good afternoon, Afonso, I'm going to the office. Don't disturb me unless it's very urgent," I said.

"Yes, Alpha. I'll bring you a snack," he's always one step ahead, efficiency personified.

"Thank you, Afonso."

Now it's just bureaucracy, what can you do, necessary work.

Lizandra

I barely noticed the Alpha's arrival and I was already being dragged down the hill. He didn't let me explain that I was on a break from work and by the looks of it, he wouldn't let me speak now or ever.

Today is the day I'll get a beating when I get home. The worst part is that I'm starving and it seems like he wants me to do something. Tonight I won't be able to deprive Rose of hunting, we need to eat.

He dragged me to the new greenhouse and stopped me in front of MasterTirion, a man full of experience and wisdom, who is always taking care of the plants and herbs that serve our sustenance and also for external trade. Highly respected, wise, kind, calm, and always with a smile on his face, he asked Alpha Derick.

"What are you doing with the girl, my Alpha?"

"Here is your newest helper, put her to work from morning to night, no one stays idle in this Pack."

He let go of my arm and I massaged the sore area.

Only after he left, grumbling, did MasterTirionspeak to me.

"So, Lizandra, what happened?" he asked, assuming that I wasn't idle without reason. But what surprised me was that he knew and remembered my name.

I looked at him curiously and asked, "Do you remember my name?"

"The right question would be: what don't I know? Remembering is another thing... Come child, I'll give you something to eat, you won't be able to do much with your growling stomach."

I shrank with embarrassment, indeed, my stomach was growling. I followed him to the back of the greenhouse, where there was a small kitchen with a sink, mini-fridge, microwave, counter, and a small table with two stools.

"Answer child, what did you do this time, or rather, what did they do to you?" he asked again, putting a covered plate in the microwave.

I sat on the stool, looking down, placed my hands on the table, fidgeting with my fingers, and thinking whether I should tell, but since he was so kind, I trusted him and said,

"Well... I was sewing when some customers of my mother entered and while she went to fetch their orders, they started to tease me. Since I didn't respond, they pushed me, I fell off the stool and they started kicking me. I crawled away quickly, crawling on all fours, I stood up and ran through the back door, up the hill, and sat, waiting for them to leave so I could come back. But as you can see, there wasn't enough time," I let out a tired sigh and looked at the master, "The Alpha arrived first."

The microwave beeped, he opened it and took out the plate, uncovered it, placed the lid in the sink and the plate in front of me, fetched a spoon from the drawer of the sink cabinet and handed it to me.

"Eat child, you need it," he said, looking at me with a gentle smile.

He fetched a water bottle from the mini-fridge, poured it into the two glasses on the table and gave me one. He sat across from me, drinking from the other glass without commenting on my situation, and started explaining what I was going to do.

I ate hungrily, when I finished, he showed me the seedlings that needed to be separated for planting and where they would be planted. He left me working and said before leaving, "I need to go out, but I'll be back soon."

For a moment, I stood still, looking at his back and analyzing everything that happened. In the end, it wasn't that bad for me. Working with my mother was terrible and I still had to deal with those customers.

I looked around and saw that everything was orderly and harmonious. The quietness of the place quieted my soul, everything was calm and peaceful. Until the rude Alpha returns, I will enjoy this blessed solitude.

The seedlings seem to be asking for help, they want space to grow. I feel so in communion with them, it feels like we can talk like good friends.

Derick

As the Alpha, I have a lot of work, but I also have a team that helps me a lot. My betas, Carlos and Nestor, are from my father's time and I hold them in high regard, they are the main administrators.

The other three who help me control the work are friends who grew up with me, we are almost the same age, 90 years old, but look like we're 25. Women like us, and we are always satisfied, if you know what I mean... I give a sideways smile, remembering the last one.

Lately, I have been missing my companion, my wolf Thomas, he is very restless and does not want to mate with any other she-wolf except his mate. I have the impression that she is nearby, but I will only be sure on the night of the blue moon. That's why I am more irritated than usual.

I arrived at the office, I will catch up with the paperwork. I hope that weird girl can handle the job and not interfere with MasterTirion. He needs help, not more work. I don't know if it was a good idea to bring her there, but it was all that I could arrange.

I finished my tasks and went to rest, still thinking about how my mate will be, but at the same time, the image of the weird girl came to mind.

How annoying!

Why did her image come to mind? I just want to daydream, to have a pleasant thought, not a nightmare. Nestor should have killed her when she was born, then we wouldn't have to look at that abomination every day.